What to do after receiving your SARS auto-assessment notice
Tax season has officially started, and many South Africans have already received their auto-assessment notices
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Tax season has officially commenced, and many South Africans have already received their auto-assessment notices from the South African Revenue Service (SARS). If you’ve received one by SMS or email, here’s what you need to know and do.
According to the revenue service, "this season marks an important period in which the income tax returns of most taxpayers will be automatically assessed."
What is auto assessment?
SARS uses information from employers, banks, pension funds, and medical aids to fill in your tax return automatically. According to the revenue collector, if everything looks correct, you don’t need to submit anything.
What to do if you’re auto-assessed
1. Review your return
Visit sars.gov.za, log in to eFiling, the MobiApp, or use the SARS Online Query System.
“Upon receiving your notice of assessment, you may review the details through various channels, including e-filing, the SARS online query system and the SARS Mobi app.”
2. Happy with it?
If everything looks correct, you don’t need to do anything further. SARS will finalise your return.
3. Need to fix something?
If anything is missing or incorrect, you must log in and submit your own return before the deadline.
“If your assessment is incorrect or the information is incomplete, log in to your e-filing profile or use your SARS Mobi app to update and submit the tax return".
What about refunds or payments?
If you’re owed money, SARS says it will "process your refund within 72 hours, provided your bank details are valid and you are tax compliant.”
However, if you owe SARS, ensure that you pay by the deadline indicated on your notice.
“If you owe SARS money, you must make a payment before the due date shown on the notice of assessment.”
The revenue service added that "if you have previous outstanding amounts, with no payment arrangements, the refund will first be utilised to settle your outstanding debt.”
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